The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 246: Friday's Legacy

Adjusting his tie and undoing the top button of his shirt, Lu Li returned to his desk and sat down.

He picked up the sheet of paper he had mentally labeled his "shopping list," flipped it over, took a pen, and paused to think.

The shelter shouldn't be too large—just big enough for him to live in. But it couldn't be too small either, to avoid claustrophobia and other psychological issues. The size of the small cabin on the Isle of Gaze was about right for relatively comfortable, long-term habitation.

The shelter wouldn't be designed for many people. If all went according to plan, it would house only him and Anna.

That was why he thought of it as a personal shelter, not a large-scale refuge.

He couldn't protect too many people.

If the end of the world truly came and society collapsed, even exorcists would find the reality hard to swallow, let alone ordinary people.

The first priority was to determine the shelter's location. For long-term survival, it needed to be near essential resources like water and fuel.

Water could be drawn from a nearby source, while fuel could be gathered as firewood or rendered from hunted animals for lamp oil.

The shelter couldn't be too far from Belfast, but not too close either. For the time being, densely populated areas remained relatively safe, as they were a priority for the exorcists' protection. But he couldn't be too close, lest he get caught in the fallout of a potential disaster.Ideally, the shelter needed a good vantage point. Lu Li didn't want to run into anomalies every time he stepped out for supplies.

A water source, fuel, a clear vantage point, and proximity to the city.

Lu Li jotted down these four requirements on the paper.

The first place that came to mind was Agate Lake, high up on the mountain. It met all his requirements—perhaps too well.

It was situated right in the heart of Belfast, surrounded by the mansions and estates of the city's rich and powerful.

He couldn't afford a house there, unless he decided to get involved with a certain baroness mired in lawsuits and scandals.

Lu Li considered the coast, but immediately dismissed the idea.

The anomalies were spreading from the ocean depths onto the land, making the coast a dangerous place to be, no matter how sturdy or well-hidden his shelter was.

Just then, a third location came to mind. He didn't know its name, but he could picture exactly where it was.

The view from his window was blocked by the buildings across the street, so Lu Li had to rely on memory.

Belfast's coastline formed a crescent, with Port Roadster situated at the center of the bay. On either tip of this crescent stretched an untouched forest. The districts bordering the woods were Oak Street and Elm Street, the very edges of Belfast.

The former was named for the oak grove, the latter for the elm wood.

Oak Street, which Lu Li was somewhat familiar with, was in the lower part of Belfast. Elm Street, which he had just read about in the Daily News a few minutes ago, was at the opposite end of the bay.

This third potential spot was a few kilometers northeast of Elm Street, on the very tip of the crescent. Below it was a sheer cliff dropping down to the sea, perhaps a hundred meters high.

It was near the sea and the forest, had a commanding view, and was only a few kilometers from the edge of Belfast.

Its elevated position would offer protection from anything crawling out of the sea. The ocean held fish—assuming sea life hadn't gone extinct by the time he needed the shelter. Seawater could be desalinated, and fuel could be gathered from the surrounding forest. From that height, he would have a clear view of all of Belfast and the bay.

The location met every one of Lu Li's requirements.

Barring a cataclysm large enough to instantly wipe out the entire city, that spot would remain safe.

Flipping to a new page of his "shopping list," Lu Li added a map of Belfast. He'd already mentioned it to the Trader, but the man had only brought him a map of the continent.

For now, Lu Li only had a rough plan for the shelter itself. He didn't want to build a conspicuous cabin that would practically scream, "I'm here!"

The best option would be to find a natural shelter, like a cave.

Assuming, of course, there was a cave to be found.

If not, he would have to explore other options.

He planned to head out there soon to scout the area and assess the situation.

"What if the world doesn't collapse like you think it will?" Anna asked suddenly. She had been watching him quietly for some time. "I'm not saying I don't believe you, but what if things aren't as bad as all that? What if all these preparations are for nothing?"

"I hope it is," Lu Li replied.

If he had his way, the shelter would never be needed at all.

No one wants the world to end tomorrow, except those with nothing left to lose.

Of course, Lu Li's outlook was pessimistic... but that didn't mean he was without hope.

Human society might crumble under the weight of disaster, but the exorcists would not.

The flame might be extinguished, but the embers would remain.

The trees might fall, but the seeds would endure.

Someone would surely survive, fighting for existence and casting a faint light of hope into the endless night.

Lu Li now had some time on his hands, but there was much to do, including scouting the cliff in the Elm Forest. However, several things were expected to happen in the coming days: news from the Investigators about the "Door" and the Bloody Tentacles, word about his promotion, the matter of Friday, a response from Remi, and a visit from the Trader.

He couldn't afford to be away for long.

Taking advantage of the lull, Lu Li turned to tasks he could handle at home, like counting his savings and assessing the power of his Spirit Gun.

He had exactly 2,300 shillings. The two hundred or so shillings he'd had on his person had been lost at sea.

To gauge the pistol's power, he needed Anna's help.

According to Anna, the Spirit Gun with one bloomed rose posed a definite threat to her. A shot to the head, she felt, could seriously injure her, and her own aura was nearly that of a Vengeful Spirit.

What a "serious injury" meant for a ghost was a rather abstract concept. Lu Li had always protected her so well that she had no idea what happened to a ghost when it was wounded.

The other Spirit Gun, the one issued by the Investigators, was practically harmless. Anna felt almost no threat from it, likely because it hadn't yet been empowered.

The first pistol had claimed one Vengeful Spirit and several lesser ghosts. Those lesser ghosts could roughly be equated to another Vengeful Spirit, bringing the total to two. Perhaps when its count reached three, the pistol would be able to inflict significant damage on Vengeful Spirits.

After a moment's thought, Lu Li added two more Spirit Guns to his "shopping list."

Whoever Friday was, her fighting style had given Lu Li an idea.

The Spirit Gun had clear strengths and weaknesses: high power, but a slow rate of fire. He needed to increase that rate. If he couldn't improve the gun itself, he could find another way.

For instance, he could carry multiple Spirit Guns, compensating for rate of fire with sheer numbers.

Lu Li mentally numbered his two pistols. His original became number one, the one from the organization became number two. The next would be three, four, and so on.